All Things Class

I am so excited to discuss Season 2 Episode 2 with you all - Keeping Families Engaged in the Early Childhood Years with our amazing host @Mamie Morrow TS and our guest @Heather Sason! 

What was your favorite part of this episode? I personally really loved when Heather was talking about how children whose caregivers are involved in their education are more likely to succeed, have more confidence in their knowledge, and have more motivation to learn. In what ways have you been successful in getting a caregiver or parent more involved in their learning?

How can you further get to know the parents? I loved the ideas Heather shared about having happy hours with the parents, or even having parties with the families virtually. If you are teaching in person this year, making the most of drop-off and pick-up is another great strategy she shared. What other strategies do you use to build relationships with parents?

How often do you think Teachers should aim to intentionally communicate with parents? And how can we ensure parents feel comfortable initiating conversation with the teacher as well? Heather brought up great strategies about sharing notes and photos to ensure parents feel connected to their child's time in the classroom. This can help to build up trust in these vital relationships you have with the parents. 

Heather also discussed how these parent-teacher relationships can grow and evolve when discussing milestones and asking questions. How have you built these relationships in the past with the parents of the children in your care? If you feel comfortable, please share some of the questions you ask parents to begin to open the doors for relationship building.

Tips shared by Heather during this episode:

• Teachers should be themselves! Showing your true self as a teacher will make parents/caregivers feel more at ease.
• Bank time with the parents to build those relationships. This helps tremendously, especially at conference time.
• In remote settings, invite parents/caregivers to join the first few minutes of each session if they can, and take this opportunity to bank a few moments with each of the parents. 
• In remote settings, also take the time to schedule virtual parent/caregiver gatherings every few months. Let them talk and get to know one another, and you better. 
• For in-person settings, invite parents/caregivers to volunteer in the classroom, and drop by anytime they want. Also, invite them to special events such as parties or special visitors coming to the classroom.
• If your center permits it, send pictures to the parents/caregivers during naptime of what their children have been doing that day. 

Other resources:

• Engaging ECE Families in Remote Learning
• Interactions at the Core: The Power of Interactions In Any Setting
• Check out Heather's Little Fish Playroom and her blog: How to Set Up Infant & Toddler Learning Spaces to Facilitate Exploration. 
• To see more photos of Little Fish and learn more, go to facebook.com/littlefishplayroom and www.littlefishplayroom.com